Place: Diamro Battle Field, NW

Time: 4:07 am

Status: Training completed

Mood: who knows how a battlefield feels? Only it.

Note: italicized speech is a flashback

~*~*~*~

Lucrezia Noin slowed her mobile suit, coming to a complete stop in front of the destroyed mobile doll. Breathing heavily, she tiredly wiped her forehead dry. She drew in a deep, calming breath, and leaned back against the warm leather of her mobile suit's seat. Resting, her eyes closed, she recalled the day's earlier events, the reason why she had stayed out far later than usual to train.

"Milliardo, I give up everything to help you, but what do I get in return?" she asked herself quietly, rubbing her temple methodically. "All those years of trainings, and yet I let you get more recognition. I put you before I put myself, and you never gave me anything in return."

Milliardo Peacecraft, she recalled, had confronted her about the Registered Mobile Suits Tournament Competition. Although he was not directly involved with its' decision-making, he did have some influence over the opinions people had of the RMSTC. He was respected and admired by pilots and politicians alike, and it seems that several people were waiting for his opinion on whether or not female pilots should be able to compete.

"I'm not sure what to say, Noin. I would like to see female competitors, but there are so few lady pilots," Milliardo said. He seemed to be very uncomfortable speaking about the topic. Noin understood, seeing that there were so many male pilots against it.

"Several politicians have voiced their opinion that there is no need to spend so much money for an entire new division for only a handful of individuals. They believe the money could be put into better use with the male pilots."

"But, Milliardo, everyone should have an equal chance; a pilots' gender should have no influence over this."

"I don't think the money is the only thing they have a problem with. Although no one will come out and say it, the pilots seem to have heard of several female pilots that are, by far, better fighters than they."

"They're scared they'll be humiliated by being beaten by a girl," Noin said bitterly. "How childish." Milliardo simply nodded.

"Lucrezia, please understand that what I say to the people is not necessarily my belief about the female pilots."

Noin looked at him, her brow furrowed. "You're going to tell them what they want to hear," she said slowly, looking at Milliardo in shock and disbelief.

Once again, Milliardo could only nod. "I don't want to make any new enemies, Lucrezia. There are far to many people against it to stand up in defense of a female division. What could be gained from it?"

"Only the right to fight, that all pilots deserve, whether they be male or female! Zechs," she said, Milliardo blinking as she said his alter-ego, "I can't stand by your decision if it is to allow them to discriminate against women!"

"I thought you would understand! You do not know the pressures that those people can place onto you!"

"You think I don't know about pressure?! Every time that I battle, I'm expected to go out there and be better, stronger, faster than my male equivalents! You have no idea what it is like to be a female pilot, for everyone to stare at you in disbelief as you step into a mobile suit and head out onto the battlefield!"

Milliardo had nothing to say to this. His looked at her with a mixture of pity and anger, his face set in a look that told her their discussion was over. "Well," he said coldly, putting his coat on and moving to the door, "I'm sorry to waste your time."

"Zechs -" she began, but to no avail. He had already left.

"Why do men have to be so stubborn?" Noin asked herself aloud, opening her eyes again. The sight in front of her shocked her. Three figures had their faces pressed up to the opposite side of her vid screen.

"I'm not sure myself, but I believe it has something to do with the fact they can't ask for directions; something about 'admitting weakness'," Relena replied, her voice metallically distorted through the speaker.

"You know," Hilde said, looking over to Relena, "I think you're right."

Noin let out a soft chuckle. "What the hell are you guys doing out here so late? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Dorothy frowned, and proceeded to stick out her tongue at Noin. "We would have been here at least forty-five minutes earlier, but somebody had to go and train at a different-than-usual battlefield. We got lost four times."

"Fortunately we are capable of asking directions," Relena ended, causing a quiet snort from Hilde.

Noin shook her head, fighting back the desire to tell how glad she was to have some company. Training was all right, but it got terribly boring when there was only you and a mobile doll. "That still doesn't answer why you are hear. Did Milliardo send you?"

Relena frowned for a moment. "Why would my brother send us here?"

"Never mind," Noin responded, waving her hand impatiently, "just answer the question."

"We have decided to get some vengeance for the years of neglect that dear little Ree-Ree ("stuff it, Dorothy!") has had to put up from a certain Mr. Yuy," Dorothy responded, knocking on the glass screen. "Um… can Noin come out and play? It's okay for you in there because you can see us, but we can't see you!"

"All right, all right, just give me a minute," Noin responded, and proceeded to unhitch her safety belt and unlock the entryway of her suit. It opened with a slow hiss, and she was immediately greeted by the trio of girls pulling her down to the ground.

" Pleeeze," Relena begged, falling to the ground and grabbing Noin around her knees. "Help me get back at Heero! I weally, weally huwt!"

For a moment it looked like Noin was confused, but then she remembered it was past four in the morning and she couldn't expect the girls to make a whole lot of sense. "Well," she began, carefully removing her legs from within Relena's death grip, "What do you want to do to him?"

Hilde responded, "That's the thing; we've run out of good ideas. The only one that came close was Dorothy's suggestion of throwing acid in his face."

"Well he wouldn't be able to look at other girls then, would he?" Dorothy retorted, defending her idea.

"But then he couldn't look at meeeee!" Relena sobbed, losing all control of her emotions.

Noin thought for a moment. "Have you been drinking?"

"The other night, yes. Today, no."

"I see."

The girls stood (except for Relena, who was sobbing on the ground) together at the foot of Noins' mobile suit. They had suddenly come to realize how silly they looked, talking animatedly in their pajamas in the middle of a battlefield with a girl sobbing hysterically on the ground. "Um, why don't we head inside?" Hilde suggested, and they all seemed to agree. Pulling Relena to her feet ("Lemme go! Just leave me to die!") they made their way back to the barracks a few hundred yards away.

~*~*~*~

"So you, Hilde, and Dorothy are all going to even the scores with Heero, Duo, Quatre?" Noin asked, setting down the porcelain teacup she was holding. "But you can't think of an idea to get back at Heero with." Relena nodded, chewing slowly on a buttermilk biscuit. They sat around a long picnic-like table inside the Diamro kitchen. Hilde, Relena and Noin talked quietly as Dorothy busied herself by searching for food.

"Have you ever thought of not getting revenge on Heero?"

"What do you mean?" Hilde asked, looking at Noin confusedly.

Lifting her cup up once again, Lucrezia continued, "What I mean is, how about you stop focusing on how to make Heero suffer and look at how to stop yourself from suffering."

"Like I should focus on how to help myself, not revenge?" Relena asked quietly. Her eyes were still a bit pink and puffy from crying, but she no longer felt the desire to throw herself onto the ground and sob. "But I can't think of what I need…"

"Well, it seems to me that you want attention, so why don't you get it from someone besides Heero? Go out and get yourself a boyfriend, or a dog, or a baby or something!"

Relena didn't say anything; she just sat and pondered what to do. Slowly she began, "I guess I could get a boyfriend…"

"Not only that, you could get an entire makeover!" Dorothy added, bringing her a plateful of cookies and a glass of milk. "You could buy some new shoes, some new clothes, get your hair done; all that fun stuff you've never really stopped to do before."

"What's wrong with my hair and clothes?" Relena asked, suddenly looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Nothing," she responded hurriedly, "I just thought a change would do you good. You've had the same wardrobe for the past 5 years! Live a little, buy some Gucci shoes."

Hilde added, "It might give you the self-esteem booster you need. A new look usually makes me feel better."

Relena nodded and smiled, grabbing one of the cookies Dorothy brought. "I was thinking of cutting my hair shorter. It's been long for way too long."

"That's the spirit! Tomorrow - well, today, actually – you girls should take Relena out on the town! It'll make you all feel better, more relaxed," Noin said. Glancing at her watch she added, "It's almost six in the morning girls; do you think we've talked enough?"

Yawning, Hilde nodded. "I was ready for bed three hours ago." Pushing their chairs out, they helped re-organize the kitchen until it looked as though they hadn't even been there. They switched off the lights and made their way to the door.

~*~*~*~

Chasing dragons with plastic swords
Jack off Jimmy everybody wants more
Scully and angel on the kitchen floor
And I'm calling Buddy on the ouija board
I've been thinking 'bout catching a train
Leave my phone machine by the radar range
Hello it's me, I'm not at home
If you'd like to reach me, leave me alone

A change would do you good
A change would do you good

~*~*~*~

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